All 162 prisoners of the Vught PI who were temporarily staying elsewhere due to a fire have been back since Tuesday. Last Saturday, a faulty appliance in the laundry room caused a fire. This led to a major evacuation operation in the prison.
The fire was extinguished by the fire brigade on Saturday evening. This caused so much flooding that it was not safe enough to allow the 162 prisoners to return to their cells. 30 prisoners could be accommodated within the walls of the Vught PI.
Places had to be found in other prisons for 132 prisoners, a huge operation. Around seven o’clock on Sunday morning, the last prisoners were temporarily moved. During the evening of Tuesday, the signals were turned green again for prisoners to return. This lasted until midnight.
No problems with detainees
“It was a big job. The colleagues in Vught and the other establishments and the colleagues from the Transport and Support Service have done unprecedented work. Really something to be proud of,” says Carla Wijnhoven, branch director of PI Vught. “The detainees also showed their best side. They were understanding and cooperative.”
The fact that a fire leads to such a large-scale evacuation is remarkable, according to a spokesperson for the PI Vught. “This was very special. We can usually solve it internally, but you cannot deal with an entire wing internally.”
